Commission outlines outreach calendar, student-led tree inventory pilot and contractor-qualification push

The Athens Shade Tree Commission used its February meeting to set an outreach calendar, create subcommittees and back a student-led tree inventory project intended as a pilot for a citywide inventory.

Eva Miller, an Ohio University undergraduate studying environmental studies and urban planning, told the commission she is designing a neighborhood tree tour and a citizen-science tree‑inventory protocol as part of a semester practicum. "I have a strong interest and a little bit of background in urban forestry," Miller said, and she asked the commission to help recruit volunteers and test a protocol in time to show preliminary results before the student research expo on April 8. Commission members agreed to form a citizen‑science committee to work with Miller and proposed tying the pilot to the university’s Earth Day / sustainability events, including an April 14 sustainability fair noted in the meeting.

Commissioners described several new and existing subcommittees: improved communication with city administration, a group to update the Shade Tree Commission web page and backlog of minutes, a fundraising/grant-finding group and a policy committee to draft proposed code changes. The commission also discussed preparing brochures and table materials for spring events and creating an online hub with fact sheets and training videos about invasive-species identification and control.

On invasive plants and control techniques, commissioners said a public-facing resource should present identification, manual and chemical-control options and timing. A commission member said effective control of bamboo, knotweed, ivy and bittersweet often requires herbicide applications and asked whether the city will allow herbicide use for control; the conversation proposed developing guidance for residents and inspectors. The commission also suggested outreach and training with Ohio State University Extension, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other technical partners.

The group discussed contractor qualifications under the commission’s code authority. One commission member said the Shade Tree Commission’s provisions in Title 33 allow the commission to maintain a list of qualifications for firms performing tree work and proposed drafting a list that could require ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) certification for contractors doing city work. That member said the city’s current contractor, Greenleaf, is "spending approximately $60,000 a year on that contract. And as far as I know, they don't have any ISA certified arborists on staff," and recommended the commission draft qualification criteria and reach out to potential qualified vendors.

Commissioners also reported on grant prospects. One member said, "From what I've been told by ODNR, funding is most likely going to be frozen" for certain federal IRA-funded programs in Ohio and suggested holding grant-writing until the funding situation clarifies. Commissioners instructed subcommittees to continue planning outreach events, to prepare materials for the April sustainability fair and to begin drafting contractor qualifications and invasive-species guidance for code inspectors.

The commission reminded members that the next Shade Tree Commission meeting is scheduled for March 13.